ON THE MOUNTAIN
by FrejaDK
Summary: Arizona Robbins hadn't planned on moving out into the middle of nowhere and she certainly didn't plan on staying. But what happens when she meets small town doctor Calliope Torres?
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

Fall was Callie Torres' least favorite time of year.

She hated seeing the leaves fall. It felt like everything was dying. And she didn't like it.

As the winds grew stronger, the weather colder, and the winter came closer, she sought refuge with other of Centerville's inhabitants almost every afternoon at Joe's – a small bar in the center of the small town.

With only 3500 inhabitants and 250 miles to the nearest city, everybody knew everybody. It was a close knit community.

"Annie stop by to see you lately?" a guy called Jack asked her from across the bar.

"Yeah. Why?" she answered.

"Well, I've been wondering. She hasn't felt like herself lately. I don't know..."

"Jack, you know I can't tell you what goes on at the clinic"

"I know, doc..."

Callie knew the man as a caring husband and a great father and seeing him look this worried and shy melted her heart a little.

"But," she continued "Annie's fine. She's just going through some...age related changes. Don't worry about it"

The guy's face lit up a little.

"So she's not sick?"

"No"

"Oh thank God!" he then said and yelled "Next round is on me!"

Callie chuckled. She was the town doctor, and sometimes she knew the people there better than they knew themselves.

She loved the close-knit community – all its faults included, and she considered a lot of the people in Centerville family.

She asked for a second beer and started chatting with Joe, the owner of the bar.

A couple of minutes later a woman walked through the door to the bar, and the whole room went quiet like it always did when strangers stopped by.

The woman's clothes and hair were wet from the rain and she looked a bit lost. She took in the room and then walked up to the bar.

"Can I borrow a phone? Mine ran out of battery"

The bartender hesitated for a minute, but then handed the woman his phone.

She took a few steps towards a corner of the room to get a bit of privacy and made a call. The room was still silent, so everybody heard what the call was about; her car. It had broken down, and she was calling for someone to come and pick it up to have it fixed. Callie watched her out of the corner of her eye. In spite of looking like a drowned person, the stranger was beautiful; blonde curls, piercing blue eyes, and...dimples maybe? It was hard to tell because the stranger was far from smiling.

After hanging up, she simply handed the bartender the phone and left the bar.

Once she was gone, everyone resumed their conversations as if she had never been there.

It made Callie smile. She had once been a stranger in the town too. She knew how it felt to be the odd one out, and she thanked God she was no longer an outsider.

Fifteen minutes later, when driving home, Callie spotted the woman who had just been at the bar, walking by the side of the road.

The latina slowed down and rolled down her window.

"Where are you headed?"

"Home" the woman answered without stopping walking or looking at Callie.

"And where is home?"

The woman nodded towards the mountainside in the distance and said "Pine Tree Road".

Callie furrowed her brow. She knew Pine Tree Road and she knew there was only one house on that road. Nella Henderson's house. Nella had died six months earlier and the people of the town had no idea what was going to happen with the property. It hadn't been put up for sale.

"Nella's house?" the latina asked.

Her knowledge of the house made the blonde woman stop walking and look at the latina.

"Yeah. How did you..."

"Small town" Callie answered with a small smile.

"Right" the other woman breathed out.

"Do you...do you want me to drive you? You have car troubles?"

"It's okay. I don't mind walking"

"Seriously? It's a 3 mile hike. The weather is horrible. I can take you. Really, it's no problem"

"I'm _fine_ " the woman repeated.

Callie sensed that it was time to back off.

"Okay. Well, goodnight then"

The woman nodded, and then Callie drove off, wondering who this stranger was.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Two weeks passed before Callie saw the woman again. The latina was pumping gas and thinking about the yearly vaccination day at the local school. When she looked to the left she suddenly saw the stranger pumping gas 20 feet away.

The woman's car was a green 1966 Thunderbird that Callie knew all too well because she used to own one herself. The way the muddy Pine Tree Road had spray painted the beautiful car made Callie smile. This part of the US was not meant for fancy cars. These days Callie drove a four wheel drive that could get her to any woman in labor or any man in pain as fast as possible.

"I see your car is up and running again?"

The blonde woman looked up. When she saw Callie she put on a tight smile.

"Yeah. I think the dirt roads probably came as a shock and that's why it needed a break"

"Probably" Callie chuckled.

Callie took a few steps forwards, stuck out her hand and said "Callie Torres, town doctor"

The other woman looked at Callie's hand for a few seconds and then reluctantly shook it.

"Arizona Robbins, Nella Henderson's great niece"

"Oh, really?" Callie asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well...people here have been making up all kinds of stories about you. Someone said you were from NASA, scoping out the area for a good place to build a new space center" Callie said with a smile and winked at the woman.

The stranger didn't look like she found it amusing.

"Yeah, I've noticed that people talk. Well, not when I'm in the room that is. It's mostly a faint whisper I hear in passing"

"Would you believe me if I told you that people here are quite endearing?"

"No"

"Well, they are. They just need time"

"Right" Arizona simply said, closed the fuel door, got in her car and drove off.

Callie watched the Thunderbird disappear down the road and shook her head. She didn't know what to make of the stranger. But she liked when strangers stopped by. They brought around an air of 'new' and 'different' that felt good. They represented the exact amount of 'stirring the normal' that Callie needed.

Jenna – the owner of the gas station – walked up next to Callie.

"She's a big city lawyer" Jenna said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. New York. And I guess she's fixing up Nella's house to sell it. She spoke to Adams Realtors about it"

"She's fixing it up herself?"

"Yeah. Wilson says she's been stopping by the lumberyard regularly for supplies"

"She doesn't strike me as the kind of woman who would know her way around tools" Callie said, thinking about the outfit Arizona had been wearing; tight black slacks and a crisp white shirt. She _looked_ like a lawyer.

"Well, we don't know if she's actually succeeding, do we" Jenna then said, making them both laugh.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Thursday afternoon that week Callie finished with her last patient at 4pm. She was going through a medical journal to find some information on whiplash when she heard the small bell that signaled that someone walked into the building.

When she opened the door to the waiting room, Arizona was there.

Callie must have looked very surprised, because Arizona suddenly doubted that she was in the right place.

"This is the clinic, right?" she asked.

Callie was silent for a few seconds, simply staring at Arizona, but then finally snapped out of her surprised state.

"Uh...yeah. Yeah. How can I help you?"

Arizona lifted her hand, showing that her ring finger was wrapped in a small dish towel. She was hurt.

"I cut my finger" Arizona said, the regret in her voice evident.

"Come sit here" Callie said, immediately in full doctor mode.

She unwrapped the finger and looked at the cut.

"Let me guess; screwdriver slipped?"

Arizona looked at her with surprise "How did you...?"

"I've seen a lot of injuries like this over the years" Callie smiled.

The latina assessed the wound and cleaned it with iodine, causing Arizona to hiss slightly in pain.

"The cut is pretty deep. I am going to give it a couple of stitches"

"Stitches?" Arizona's eyes went wide "But, do you know how...I mean..." The blonde looked around as if taking in the small place she was sitting in. She obviously didn't give the small town clinic or doctor Torres much credit.

"Calm down, Miss Robbins" Callie said in a calm tone "I'm a surgeon. I know my way around cuts. And sutures"

Callie left the room for a second and came back with a suture kit.

"You're a surgeon?! But…how come you're…" Arizona stopped before she finished the sentence. Callie did it for her though.

"Wasting my time here?" Callie said challengingly.

Arizona swallowed and looked down.

"I'm sorry. It's just…"

"I used to think like you, you know. I came here and I thought 'How the hell do people live all the way out here?'. And then… Then I fell in love. And everything else – whatever the pulsating big city has to offer – stopped being important. And slowly…slowly I fell in love with the place as well. With the people here"

Callie tied the last knot of the suture. Arizona looked down at the art work Callie had created.

They made eye contact. And it lasted a second too long to be comfortable.

"Can you...can we keep this...here?" the blonde then asked meekly "I...I may be wrong because no one actually talks to me, but I have a feeling there's enough gossip already"

"Don't worry" Callie said "What happens here, stays here"

Arizona looked grateful. She grabbed her purse and asked "How much do I owe?"

"Don't worry about it" Callie said while washing her hands "Consider it a 'welcome to town' treatment. It's on the house"

Arizona looked at her for what seemed like a long minute. Then she simply nodded, looked down, turned around and left.

As Callie heard the Thunderbird engine start she whispered "You're welcome, Miss Robbins" and laughed a bit at the stranger's antics.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Two days later Callie was at Wilson from the lumberyard's birthday party. She was in a dress and heels and enjoying some wine while looking at people on the dance floor.

The birthday boy, who was turning 67, walked up to her.

"You look very good tonight, Callie" the man said, put an arm around Callie and pulled her close to his side.

"Thank you, Wilson! You don't look too bad yourself"

They stood in comfortable silence for a while.

"Ever think about getting out there again?" he then said and looked ahead at the many guests.

"I don't know" Callie said.

"You know, the only thing I regret after losing Lottie is that I never had the courage to move on" He paused "Don't make that mistake, Callie. You're too precious to shrivel up and die here. If you need to go somewhere else to find what you want and need, then do it. Centerville will survive"

Callie looked at Wilson with a small smile. The man was being very sincere. She kissed his cheek.

"I'll remember that" she croaked. Then she took a deep breath and said "But don't you think you're only telling me that to get me off your back about your cholesterol?"

They both laughed.

"Any news on the mountain stranger?" he then asked "I haven't seen her at the lumberyard for a few days"

"Nope" Callie said, thinking about Arizona's injury "I wonder when she'll finish the renovation"

The man chuckled "Well, if she stays at the house for 6 months or more, she'll be tax exempt when she sells. Clever lass. The town could use the money though"

"Really? You think that's why she's here?"

"Why else would a lawyer from New York move here and spend time on Pine Tree Road?"

Callie thought about Wilson's words. Actually she thought about them for four days straight, until Arizona walked into the clinic to have the stitches taken out.

Callie looked up from a medical file she was writing and said to the blonde "I'm sorry, you can't get any treatment here until you've paid the bill for your last visit"

Arizona blinked, furrowed her brow, and looked at Callie questioningly.

"But, I thought you said..."

"I changed my mind" Callie said dryly.

Arizona shook her head in disbelief, pulled out her wallet and threw five hundred dollar bills on the table.

"That should cover it. Now, will you take out the stitches?"

Callie looked at the money and then she looked up at Arizona.

"Yes, that should cover it"

Arizona sat down and Callie expertly removed her sutures and then wrote out a bill for the two treatments.

Arizona couldn't let it fly.

"Did I do something to you? Because I swear you said last time that it was on the house. Now, I don't mind paying, but..."

"That was before I knew about your little scheme" Callie said without looking up from packing away the equipment.

"Scheme?"

"Yeah. Makes you seem a bit greedy. And I don't like greedy"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Arizona really didn't know what Callie was referring to "You don't know me at all!"

"I know you're only staying here to avoid paying taxes off the profit you stand to earn from Nella's house! You don't make enough as a lawyer?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about" Arizona spat out, pushed the chair back to stand up, and then she left.

As the door slammed, Callie regretted her words. She let go of a sigh and hid her face in her hands. She didn't know why she cared about what this Arizona Robbins did or didn't do, and she was obviously going to leave town in a few months, so Callie could be certain that she wouldn't be seeing much of her, but there was something about the stranger that stirred something in Callie. And she didn't know why. Surely it couldn't be those curls and the wish to actually see the dimples she knew were hiding in the blonde's cheeks?

She locked the door to the clinic, went upstairs to her apartment which took up the top floor of the house, opened a bottle of wine and sat down on the couch. The sound of the wind made her shiver, and the color of the evening sky came with a promise; snow.

She took a deep breath as if to prepare herself for the season that was about to come.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

On the first Saturday of January, the town had a mid-winter party in the community house. The beginning of January was usually when the winter weather started showing its worst side, and this year was no exception. Halfway through the party the snow was coming down so hard and with such gusty winds, that the party had to be closed down so that people could make it home safely.

Callie helped the mayor and a few other people close down the community house and then she drove home.

From her living room she looked at the mountain. Everything was white and dark grey. The storm had really kicked in. She thought about Arizona whom she hadn't seen for a few weeks – since the blonde had stormed out of the clinic.

It bothered her that she even cared, but she knew how bad these winter storms got, and she knew that Nella had had a few isolated winters in Pine Tree Road simply because she couldn't get out due to all the snow.

Callie wondered if Arizona knew about this. The woman didn't seem very weather savvy. Stubborn yes, but not knowledgeable about life on a mountain.

Callie paced her living room for another hour. It was getting dark.

And then she put on some warm clothes and cursed both herself for going out in this weather and Arizona for moving to Centerville. She couldn't just leave the blonde on the mountain though. She needed to check if Arizona was okay, and maybe get her out of there before all the roads closed down.

The drive to Pine Tree Road took less than 20 minutes, but in that time the weather had already gotten even more horrible. Callie could barely see out the wind shield, and she doubted she would make it up the road. She also doubted that she would make it back down if she actually got up there.

By some miracle her truck made it through the snow and she pulled into Arizona's driveway. As she walked through the rough wind and snow to Arizona's front door she regretted leaving her house.

She hesitated, but finally knocked on the lawyer's door. It didn't take long before the door opened and Arizona stepped into view.

She was wearing the cutest pyjamas, and at the sight of her attire along with the blonde curls that framed her face, Callie was thrown slightly off balance and even though she opened her mouth to say something, nothing came out.

Arizona didn't lack words though.

"I can't believe this! You know what? I'm pretty tired of all you guys' shit! I didn't come to join your little happy camp out here in the mountains. I came to close down a chapter and that's what I'm going to do. Now, please just leave me the hell alone! Why are you even here? So you can make up stories about me and pass them around town or maybe..."

Arizona's angry rant woke up Callie.

"Just shut up!" she said "I'm checking on you because..."

Arizona didn't let her finish.

"Well, I'm fine!"

"But...the snow...the weather..." Callie wanted to tell Arizona that the blonde could end up being stuck on the mountain for the rest of the winter, but her words betrayed her.

"Really, I'm fine. Just please, leave me alone!" Arizona said and closed the door.

"Goddammit! Ungrateful woman. I'm just trying to help" Callie grunted to herself as she walked back through the 25 inch snow to her car. She stopped in her tracks though as she heard the roar of snow rolling down the mountainside a few hundred yards from the house, and she knew what it meant. The road was now officially closed. The only road that could take her off the mountain.

She paused and hung her head as she let go of a large sigh. She couldn't believe this was happening.

She took a deep breath, pulled her small emergency bag out of her car and walked back to the house. Before she knocked, she took another deep breath. This was going to be weird. And she tried to not think about exactly how much winter the weather report had promised. They could be stuck in Arizona's house for weeks.

"Stupid!" she hissed at herself, and then she knocked.

"Oh my God, WHAT?" Arizona said in an annoyed tone as she opened the door again.

"Spare me!" Callie said "I'm not here for a pyjamas party. Snow rolled off the mountain. The road is closed. Should I stay in my car for the next few weeks or do you have it in you to let me sleep in the house?"

Arizona looked surprised.

"Closed?"

"Yes"

The blonde stepped aside and let Callie in while asking "Wha...what do you mean weeks?"

"I mean no one gets to or from this place until the snow is gone. And. That. Could. Take. Weeks"

Arizona's eyes went wide.

Callie took out her phone and called the fire department. She let them in on the situation and they wished her luck. There was really nothing else they could do. She promised to keep them updated on the situation.

As she hung up, she turned around and looked at Arizona with tired eyes.

"Do I dare hope for emergency supplies?" she then said with a clenched jaw.

"You think I'm stupid? Of course I have emergency supplies!"

Arizona showed Callie into a small pantry room adjacent to the kitchen. The room was filled with food and other supplies from floor to ceiling.

Callie didn't say anything. She felt slightly stupid for having assumed that Arizona didn't know how to take care of herself.

"Yeah" Arizona said defiantly when she saw the look on Callie's face "I'm not as ditsy and 'big city' as you all think. Besides, the more I buy when I go to town, the less I have to go and stand all the weird looks"

Her words led Callie to look around and finally notice what Arizona had done with the house. Callie had visited Nella regularly over the years, and at the end of the old woman's life, the house really did need a lot of repairs and renovation.

Turned out Nella's great niece had skills. The living room-kitchen area had been refurbished with new tapestry, a new kitchen counter, wood panels etc. And it was done very nicely.

"Uhm..." Callie started "You...you did all this yourself?"

"Yes. While people were busy gossiping about me, turning me into some kind of lawyer devil, this is what I was doing. Minding my own business by the way" Arizona said "I never asked for the attention, did I?"

"Oh no, you get that automatically in a place like this" Callie retorted.

"So I've learned" Arizona said and started pacing the room. Callie was calm, leaning against the kitchen counter and simply watching the blonde. She seemed a bit less on guard now but she still moved around like an animal in a cage.

"If we're lucky it'll only be a few days" Callie said to try to make the blonde feel better. She knew it was a lie though. There was no way the snow would be gone in a few days.

Arizona stopped pacing, looked at the latina and nodded. She looked like Callie's words had actually comforted her a bit.

"It's late" Callie then said and started taking off her thick thermal vest and overpants, revealing the dress she had worn at the party "Maybe we should try to get some sleep"

Arizona stared at Callie. She'd only seen the latina in jeans and a shirt or her doctor's gown. The doctor was naturally beautiful, but the dress, and the makeup that Arizona only now was noticing really accentuated Callie's beauty.

The fact that she caught herself focusing on it, threw Arizona off a bit. She willed her thoughts to a halt and breathed out a "Yeah" There was no way she was going to start seeing the latina 'like that'.

The blonde went into the bedroom and came back with a sheet, some blankets, and a pillow. She placed it all on the couch, stood still in front of Callie for a few seconds, then nodded at the latina and went into the bedroom and closed the door.

"And a good night to you too" Callie whispered and sat down on the couch "God, please make it a short few weeks this year, please" she said to herself before she got up again, made the bed, and then got under the covers.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

They hardly spoke for two whole days, only exchanging a few sentences regarding food.

On the second night during dinner Callie decided to extend an olive branch.

"I'm sorry about...everything. I…I shouldn't judge. Whatever you want to do with your property is your business. And…and I'm sorry for your loss. I don't think I ever pulled my head out my ass for long enough to tell you that. Nella was…a very nice woman. And I'm sorry she's gone"

Arizona looked very surprised. Like the sound of Callie's voice had pulled her out of a thousand-year-sleep.

"It's okay. Thank you. And I'm sorry for being…uhm…a bit…"

"Pissy?" Callie said. And to everyone that knew her it would have been obvious that she was holding back a cheeky grin.

Arizona opened her mouth to defend herself but she knew Callie was right. She _had_ been pissy. Probably still was. Because nothing had been going her way lately. She was thousands of miles away from her life in New York. A life that she felt was slipping through her fingers. And she didn't much care for small towns or small town gossip or anything that had to do with living 250 miles away from the closest movie theater or Starbucks.

So instead of speaking, Arizona just nodded and looked down at her food as she continued eating.

The only thing that made everything bearable was the fact that she'd been alone in the house. Alone and able to think. Nella had left her a place that needed a lot of care and sense of possibility. Just so happened that Arizona had care to give and lots of sense of possibility. And she – even though she didn't want to admit to herself – needed a break from New York.

They were both silent for a while.

"Uhm…I'm gonna need some…clothes" Callie then said and looked down at the sweatpants she was wearing. She always brought an emergency bag with her in her car, but it didn't hold more than sweats, some underwear and a t-shirt.

"Do you think you have anything at all that would fit me?"

Callie looked like she found herself to be twice Arizona's size. It almost made Arizona smile. The tough doctor insecure about the size of her body. Truth was the latina _was_ a bit bigger than Arizona. Taller. Curvier. But not heavy. She had the kind of body most people would find incredibly sexy. And Arizona imagined her to be very strong.

"I'm sure I'll find something" Arizona reassured and tried not to think too much about Callie's body.

"Thanks"

There was another silence.

"So, do you really think it's only going to be a few days?" Arizona asked while looking out the window.

"No" Callie responded flatly.

Arizona nodded "I knew you were only saying that to make this…" she pointed between them "a little less…"

"Horrible?" Callie suggested with a smile.

And finally, _finally_ , Arizona smiled. It was a small smile, but nonetheless it was there. And right that moment Callie thought that maybe, just maybe, the coming days and weeks wouldn't be as completely uncomfortable as she had feared when she'd heard the roar of the snow closing down the road. Arizona's dimples had shown up.

"Yeah" the blonde said "Less horrible"

"I'm not a bad person" Callie then said "People here are not bad people. They're just wary of strangers because they don't see that many off them. It's classic 'scared of status quo changing'. Just…don't read too much into it"

"Well, I may have trust issues" Arizona said and shrugged her shoulders.

"Noooo, REALLY?" Callie said mockingly.

Arizona rolled her eyes, but Callie could tell that the blonde had been disarmed a little. She wasn't angry.

They finished eating in silence, but as they cleaned the table, Callie decided to open another conversation.

"So" she started "Tell me about this project. Why not just hire someone to do this for you?"

Arizona stopped what she was doing and looked at the latina.

"Uhm... It's… I…uh...I can't tell you about it. It's…"

Callie regretted having asked. They didn't know each other very well, and Arizona's business was really none of her business.

"That's okay. Don't worry. We all have secrets. You're allowed to yours" she then said and smiled at Arizona. She had a secret of her own that no one knew about, and she knew how it felt to hold some things so guarded inside that it would feel like a breach of self-trust to let them surface. To let them be known about.

Arizona looked relieved. She wanted to tell Callie that the latina would learn about the secret soon enough, but she couldn't. It was all part of the deal.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

Two days later, when Arizona woke up and walked into the living room, Callie wasn't on the couch. Just as she had done the previous days, Callie had rolled up her sheet and blankets and put them in a corner.

Arizona looked out the window and saw Callie shoveling snow from the front door across the open area in front of the house to the wood shed.

There was no wind which was probably why the latina had decided to get some shoveling done. She looked like a pro, twisting her body with every movement of the shovel, and letting go of the snow in one fluid motion. Her hair was tied up in an intricate pattern which made her look like she was made for being on this mountainside. It looked like the very white and shiny snow had birthed both her and her dark, dark hair.

Arizona thought about the diplomas on the wall in Callie's clinic; honors, great achievements in the medical field. And she thought of Callie surgeons' hands that were right now holding a shovel. The distance between John Hopkins and Centerville seemed unfathomable.

Callie's cheeks were red, and looking at the latina made Arizona wonder how warm Callie's body probably was underneath the layers of thermal clothes. How her skin probably smelled of fresh air.

Callie must have sensed Arizona's presence because she turned around and stared directly at the blonde. Then she pushed the shovel into the snow and walked up to the house.

Arizona instantly put on a small smile, hoping that Callie hadn't realized how much she had actually been staring.

When Callie came through the door it seemed like the latina hadn't noticed a thing.

"We need to get some firewood in here so that it can dry off before we need it for the fireplace" Callie said in a voice raspy from the cold.

"Okay, let me get dressed, and we can carry some in"

Callie looked at the blonde. Arizona wasn't scrawny. And maybe it was only because Callie knew that she was a lawyer, but Arizona didn't look like someone who'd carried much wood around in her life. She'd survived on the mountain until now AND done great things to Nella's house though which gave Callie an indication that the woman was far from helpless and weak.

Callie herself had learned about small town life the hard way, picking it up as she went; either live it or leave.

They carried lots of wood into the house and stacked it close to the fireplace.

When they were done, the latina started opening her thermal outfit to spend the rest of the day inside, and as she zipped the zipper halfway down, Arizona caught a glimpse of a black bra and bare skin. Callie noticed where Arizona's eyes were directed, and suddenly remembered that she wasn't wearing much underneath her outfit. She quickly pulled the zipper back up.

"Uhm..." she said "Those clothes we talked about...uhm...I washed my own earlier. It's drying. And now I'm sort of out"

Arizona snapped out of her thoughts and say "Oh, yeah, just a second"

She left for her bedroom and came back with a pile of clothes and put it on the couch.

"Some of it is mine...and some of it is Nella's" she said "It's all clean"

"Thanks" Callie said "I'm...I'm just gonna take a shower"

Arizona simply nodded, trying her very best to try and snap out of whatever weird bubble she had been in since she saw Callie in the snow. It helped that Callie left the room to shower. Arizona sat down and started reading a book. She was happy that Nella had a large collection of literature, because otherwise these winter weeks would seem even longer.

10 minutes later Callie walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a large towel. She'd showered in the house the previous days, but she'd gotten dressed in the bathroom before coming out, so the sudden show of legs and shoulders came as a surprise to Arizona.

Callie grabbed some of the clothes on the couch and went back into the bathroom.

Arizona swallowed. Callie's skin looked so tanned. How could it look so tanned when she was cooped up in a valley in the middle of nowhere?

The blonde cursed herself for staring. And for giving anything about Callie that many thoughts. Was the isolation already getting to her? Or was thinking about Callie a way for her to escape thinking about her life in New York?

She hardly finished the thought before Callie came back out of the bathroom wearing black jeans and a green shirt. Her hair was tousled, wet and wavy, and she looked relaxed.

Arizona studied the Latina as she brushed her hair and pulled it back and up in a swift motion. The blonde was sure that Callie could make anything seem easy. Doing sutures, shoveling snow. Even living in Centerville, far, far from the financial district of New York.

Once again Arizona tried her best to not think about Callie. She'd found the doctor annoying the first few times she met her, and she really wanted it to stay that way. Anything else would be...stupid.

Later in the day Arizona's phone rang and pulled both the blonde and Callie out of the reading they had both been doing for hours.

Arizona picked up, and the conversation started out civil. It was obviously a work related call, and Callie listened as Arizona was citing legislation and speaking like someone off a courtroom TV show. Towards the end of the call Callie could tell that Arizona felt pressured. "Mark, there's really nothing else I can do" the blonde said in an exasperated voice "Because I'm stuck on a damn mountain!" The blonde paused to listen to the man at the other end of the phone before she spoke again "Well, I don't know, okay. What do you want me to do? The best I can offer is to write a preliminary report based on our first talk, but I cannot settle anything between them until I can get off this mountain and to a place that has internet. I have access to nothing from here, Mark. None of their bank statements, no asset lists, no information on the children. Nothing" She let go of a sigh as Mark was obviously giving her grief about her being so far away "Go to hell, Mark!" she then said, hung up, and threw the phone across the kitchen counter.

She hid her face in her hands and took a few deep breaths. She was suddenly very aware that she had company, and she cursed herself for having lost it on the phone. She didn't need neither her private nor her work life of New York to spill onto this mountainside. She just wanted to finish what she had come to do and get the hell home so that she could get back on top of things.

"Is…everything okay?" Callie ventured after a few seconds.

"Does it seem that way?" Arizona snapped, but instantly regretted it. She sighed "Sorry. Mark is...my ex husband. And we...uh...own the firm together. Isn't that just the most ironic thing in the world; I'm one of the best divorce attorneys in New York, and I couldn't even settle it so that we would at least be able to split the company and go our separate ways"

Callie was silent. She couldn't believe that Arizona was actually opening up about something as private as her love life. It seemed out of character. She thought that maybe it was a result of being cooped up for four days.

Arizona continued.

"He's probably either running the whole place into the ground in my absence OR busy acquiring as many of my cases as possible so that he can shut me down and go on his merry way with everything that's mine. And his women"

Arizona sat down on the couch, grabbed her book and tried to get back into the story. She took a deep breath and let the air seep out of her lungs slowly. She needed to steady her breathing and her heart because there was nothing she could do about anything from where she was sitting right then. The thought of having shared what she had just done, made her clench her jaw.

Callie got up, took a bottle of wine from the pantry, opened it, poured them each a glass and handed one to Arizona. Arizona looked at the dark red liquid with gratitude and downed half of the glass in one go.

"Listen, I've been reading this horrible novel for the past four hours. Do you think we could…do something else? Talk maybe?" Callie ventured.

Arizona immediately looked on guard.

"What's said here, stays here" Callie smiled. She knew the coming weeks of isolation were going to feel very, very long if they didn't get to a level where they were more comfortable talking and joking and sharing things. The silence was killing her.

"We could do a quick 'get to know you row of questions'?" Callie asked.

Arizona was terrified at the thought, but the burn of the alcohol in her mouth and throat somehow soothed her. She wasn't going to be scared of sharing a bit of information. She'd already dished about her ex. And the thought of getting to know more about Callie intrigued her.

"Okay" she said and took another large sip of her wine.

"Great!" Callie said "You start"

Arizona thought for a second.

"What kind of surgeon?"

"Orthopedic. Why divorce law?"

"Because I'm good at it. Where did you grow up?" Arizona quickly continued.

"Miami. How about you?"

"All over the place. But the Midwest mostly. I was an army brat"

"Oh"

Callie looked genuinely surprised.

"Yeah. We moved all the time which is how I acquired my renovation skills" Arizona didn't say it with pride. More like simply stating a simple fact. With a hint of sadness.

Arizona's answer made Callie wonder what on earth had brought Arizona to Pine Tree Road. The latina was curious, but she had seen the look on Arizona's face when she'd asked about it, and she wasn't going to push it. There was more behind this 'visit' than just fixing up Nella's house to sell it with a profit. Callie could feel it.

"Uhm… Favorite book?" Arizona then asked, quickly moving them away from the topic of home and family.

"The Catcher in the Rye" Callie said.

"Really?"

"Yeah"

Arizona looked at Callie in disbelief until Callie raised an eyebrow at her. Challengingly.

"What? You think that with my Mexican heritage I can't relate to a white, upper class, private schooled, boy?"

"I didn't…I mean I..." Arizona stuttered.

"Please! Me and Holden Caulfield have a lot in common. Angst. Alienation. Actually, sounds a bit like your experience here in Centerville too"

Right then Arizona realized that Callie was joking with her. The latina chuckled. And Arizona breathed a sigh of relief.

"Callie…" she said and shook her head with a small smile that went from nervous to genuine.

Callie froze a bit at the sound of her name leaving Arizona's lips for the first time. It was so soft. The latina swallowed, and in the back of her mind a whole army of common sense was working very hard to avoid letting her fall into whatever she felt her feet started slipping at the edge of. There was something about Arizona. Something vulnerable and endearing. It was simply hard to see it because it was hidden away well.

"Your turn" Arizona said. She hadn't notice Callie checking out of the conversation for a second.

"Uhm… Siblings?"

Arizona looked like her breath got caught in her throat. Panic.

"No" she simply stated.

And the tone of her voice effectively ended the question game. She immediately got up and said "I think I'm going to make some pasta. Do you want some?"

Callie studied the blonde for a second. There were parents out there. Army parents. And maybe some siblings. And some story behind Arizona's 'No'. But Arizona clearly did not want to get into family stuff. The deflection was coming off the walls in large rays, so Callie just said "Uh…sure"


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

Callie was a lot of things. In the thermal outfit and Nella's old jacket she wore outside, she looked like she'd been born on the mountain and hadn't ever had much to do with civilization. Very strong, very natural. And when she wore Red pyjamas bottoms and a button down camisole with lace linings like she was right at that moment while sitting on the couch, reading a book, she looked so very feminine with the dark waves of her hair cascading down over her face and shoulders. Like some sort of a latina angel. Her long and dark eyelashes fluttered as her mind processed the story she was reading. And Arizona was stealing glances from across the room, behind her own book.

Looking at Callie did something inexplicable to her chest. It was as if the mere presence of Callie chipped away at the block of ice that was holding Arizona's heart in place.

The blonde felt uneasy at the sudden feeling of heat spreading in her chest. What did it mean?

She realized that she needed to busy herself or she was going to do or say something she'd regret.

She got up and started moving around the living room, gathering tools and materials, and then she started taking off the doors of the kitchen cabinets.

She put them out on the kitchen counter and started scraping lose paint off them and sanding any rough areas they had.

Callie looked up from her book and studied the blonde for a while. Arizona looked concentrated, and the way she bit her lower lip while working looked extremely cute. Inviting.

Then the blonde looked up and their eyes met. Callie felt like she'd gotten caught staring and that made her feel a heat rise in the skin of her neck.

"I'll go stir crazy if I don't start doing _something_ " Arizona said "Wanna help?"

Callie got off the couch immediately.

"Sure. Where do you want me?"

Arizona scraped and Callie sanded, and it all felt very homey. They didn't talk, but at some point Callie started singing a soft rendition of 'Chandelier' by Sia.

Arizona froze at the sound of the latina's beautiful voice and was secretly thankful that Callie had her back to her so she couldn't see exactly how much in awe Arizona was of her singing. It was amazing!

Arizona tried to concentrate on the work she was doing, but also held her breath out of fear that Callie would ever stop singing.

It was the sound of Callie's phone that ended the song though.

Callie picked up.

"Oh hey Esther. No this is not a bad time. Yeah. Okay. Okay" Callie said and listened while furrowing her brow in concentration "Sound like palpitations. Have you experienced any dizziness?" The latina was taking notes now "Okay, listen, avoid caffeine and drink some herbal tea tonight. Tomorrow morning, first thing, you'll go talk to Lisa. She'll listen to your heart and maybe up your regular dose a little, okay?"

When Callie hung up she let go of a sigh "The poor nurse, Lisa, must be working overtime"

"Is it mostly old peoples' health problems you deal with?"

"No. There's a nice mixture of ailments;" Callie responded while writing down some more notes "childbirth, broken ankles," She paused and looked at Arizona with a cheeky smile "screwdriver accidents"

Arizona threw some sand paper at her in mock anger, but also gave the latina a wide smile. A smile framed by dimples.

They seemed to be in a comfortable place now. And the conversation flowed more easily though still strained by certain things that were left unsaid.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

Two days later they were securing a part of the wood shed that had been threatening to give in to the winds. Callie was tying rope from the shed roof to poles they had knocked into the ground.

They didn't talk much, but then all of a sudden Arizona asked "You fell in love?"

Callie looked at her questioningly.

"You said you fell in love out here?"

Callie went back to tying the rope.

"Yeah"

"Who was he?" Arizona knew Callie was single from what she had overheard people in town say.

Callie once again stopped what she was doing and looked out ahead.

"She. A woman"

"Oh...OH!" Arizona said "Sorry, I just..."

"It's okay. I...don't want to talk about it" Callie then said and looked at the blonde with pleading eyes before throwing the last of the rope into the shed and walking back towards the house.

Arizona followed. She could literally _see_ the heartbreak radiating off Callie. And Callie was gay. Or at least she'd been with a woman.

As soon as they entered the house, Callie's phone rang. The latina had a certain sadness in her eyes, but as soon as she heard the voice on the other end, she smiled. And she was gay.

"Hey!" she said enthusiastically "Yeah I know. I'm sorry I couldn't be there! How did it go?" Callie laughed as the conversation continued, and the sound of her laughter made Arizona's head snap up. She realized, that this was the first time she heard the latina's laugh, and it kind of made her feel bad, because she had a feeling that it was her own reserved nature that had kept them from reaching a point where they could joke and laugh. She missed laughing herself. And right then she couldn't quite remember when the last time was that she had laughed herself. _Really_ laughed.

"Did a lot of them cry?" she heard Callie ask the person on the other end "That's fantastic!"

Callie finished the conversation, hung up and turned around with a big smile on her face.

"The yearly vaccination day at the school. The nurse went instead of me. They were all very brave"

The Latina sounded like the kids were her own. Like they made her proud. It melted away another piece of the ice that surrounded Arizona's heart. And Callie was gay.

Callie's smile was contagious, and Arizona suddenly felt like doing something for the latina. She quickly got up from the couch.

"We should celebrate" she said.

Callie looked surprised.

"I mean… I'm not sure how…" Arizona looked around at the room. No TV, no music, no party gear "We could…uhm…eat some chocolate mousse and drink some wine? Maybe play a game?"

Callie looked so surprised that Arizona almost thought she hated the idea.

"Uhm…" Callie started.

"Unless you want to go to bed now. That's perfectly fine" Arizona rushed out.

"No, no no, I think chocolate mousse and wine sounds like a fabulous idea!"

Callie was unsure what had brought on this change in pace and togetherness. She still didn't know Arizona very well, but she did know that only two weeks earlier, sharing chocolate mousse and wine would have been the furthest from Arizona's mind. Callie smiled though.

Callie's smile calmed Arizona down. She couldn't believe how absolutely horrible she was at approaching being social with Callie. She had no problems with stuff like that in her own circle of friends in New York, but the Latina was different than the people she hung out with in the city. In a good way. And Callie's down-to-earthness and soft badassness made Arizona nervous because she felt like she possessed none of those things. Her years in New York, working as a lawyer, had made her jumpy, given her trust issues, and hardened her approach to the world in general. And she didn't like that about herself.

They played Monopoly for 3 hours. Callie won.

"The moment I bought the Boardwalk I knew you were going down!" the brunette said victoriously.

Arizona simply huffed and gave her the stink eye.

"You're not used to losing, are you?" Callie said with a cheeky smile.

"No"

"Well, there's a first time for everything" Callie laughed "I'm glad I could help"

Once again Callie's laughter filled the room. And it filled Arizona. She couldn't help smiling. And she could feel the walls she had built around herself slowly crumbling.

And Callie was gay.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

It was 7 o'clock in the morning and Arizona was horny. She thought of nothing and no one in particular as she sat on her knees on her bed and slowly snaked her hand into her panties. The touch felt good and she knew it wouldn't take long. She imagined having someone behind her. Someone pressed up against her back. Someone who had their hands into her pants. Someone…

The door to her room burst open and Callie looked in. Arizona gasped out in surprise and pulled the blanket up against her body, her chest red from exertion.

"Shit!" Callie said and immediately turned around, so that she had her back to Arizona "Get dressed. It looks like the snow up high is gonna give. We need to make sure it jumps the house"

And then the latina was gone.

Arizona quickly got dressed and went outside where Callie was shoveling snow off the roof and down the backside of the house up against a steep mountain wall. If they could fill the small gap between the mountain and the house, they could avoid having the house swept away by the snow that was without a doubt going to roll down towards them. It was only a matter of time.

Arizona grabbed a shovel and started working. She could tell that Callie had been at it for a while alone, probably not wanting to wake her up.

They worked for hours until they were both grunting from exhaustion. When the gap was finally filled and packed together by the weight of the women jumping up and down on it, it looked like their hard work might actually save Nella's house. They had effectively created a slide that would direct the snow further down and into the valley.

They climbed off the roof, and the second they got into the house, they heard a rumbling sound.

Arizona froze, but Callie quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her down to the floor, leaning her own body over the blonde's protectively and burying her face in Arizona's hair.

Callie felt Arizona's fast breathing underneath her, and knew there was a fast heartbeat under the chest she could feel pressed against her own.

As the snow rolled over the house and further down the mountain with a loud roar, Callie felt nothing but Arizona's body against her own. The feeling made her forget to breathe, and she swallowed hard when the noise stopped and Arizona started stirring.

"I think we did it" Arizona whispered, almost afraid to pull them out of their little bubble on the floor. Callie felt the same. But none of them knew what the other was thinking. Not yet.

They got up, checked to see if the snow had carried anything with it, but only the tool shed seemed to have moved slightly. And Callie's car was now completely covered in snow.

They went back inside and took off their warm clothes in silence. It had been a pretty strenuous morning, and there wasn't much to say about their situation. Nothing had changed. The snow was still keeping them locked up on the mountain.

Arizona went into the pantry and got out ingredients for lunch. She tried to avoid eye contact with Callie.

The latina walked over to the kitchen counter and she was close enough for Arizona to smell her own body wash on Callie.

"I'm sorry about the…interruption…earlier. I called you from the outside, but you didn't answer. I should have knocked"

Arizona didn't look up.

"It's okay"

When the blonde finally did look up, she met Callie's soulful eyes. They were impossibly dark, and Arizona instantly feared she'd get lost in them if she kept eye contact, so she quickly looked down and started cutting bread.

"Anybody waiting for you in New York? I mean, other than your ex and his women?" Callie then asked.

Callie's comment earned a small smile from the blonde.

"Yeah…well…no… It's…"

"Complicated?"

"Yeah" Arizona breathed out "To say the least"

Arizona's phone rang and sliced through whatever moment the two women were having.

Arizona looked at the screen, took a deep breath, said "speaking of…", and then picked up.

She walked through the room, and into the bedroom, mechanically answering questions and telling about the blocked road. There was no enthusiasm.

Callie and her had been together at the house for over a week, and this was the first time Arizona spoke to whomever it was she was with or not with in New York? It seemed odd to Callie. Detached.

When Arizona came back out, she slumped down on the couch.

"Still complicated?" Callie asked.

"Probably over" Arizona said.

Callie didn't know what to say or if she should say anything at all so she just sat down next to the blonde and stared into the air with her for a long time. The silence was tangible but not uncomfortable. They both felt it.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

The next four days dragged by. Arizona was very quiet. Pensive.

The blonde started working on the old built-in closets in her bedroom, and Callie – not wanting to intrude on Arizona's bubble by asking if she could help – sought refuge in reading, cooking, carrying firewood, and taking phone consultations.

They were back to not talking much.

On the night of the forth day Callie was in the kitchen, working on dinner. Through the smell of spices, she could smell paint. It made her conclude that Arizona would be done with whatever she was doing soon.

Callie was in a good mood and as she sautéed some vegetables, she started singing a song in Spanish, letting her voice float along the walls and all the way into Arizona's bedroom.

Arizona peeked out of the room and watched Callie as the latina moved around the kitchen.

Callie's voice and the lightness of the moment made the blonde smile. It felt very homey, and Callie looked very cute in her pyjamas and sweater.

Callie suddenly noticed that she had company, and it made her freeze. Like she was afraid that any movement would make Arizona draw herself back into the cocoon of her bedroom.

Arizona did the complete opposite though. She took a few steps forward and sat down on the bar stool at the kitchen counter, curiously looking at what Callie was cooking.

"It smells good" she said.

"Uh...yeah...uhm...it's chicken piccata" Callie said, and the sound of hearing herself talk was almost foreign after days of not exchanging more than one or two words at the time with Arizona.

"Want some?" she asked, and Arizona nodded.

They ate – Arizona sitting at the counter and Callie standing, studying the blonde.

"You okay?" the brunette then suddenly dared.

Arizona stopped her fork in mid air, and then slowly lowered it to the plate.

"I will be" she simply said and then looked up to meet Callie's caring eyes.

Arizona's incredibly blue eyes almost burned holes through Callie's dark ones. The latina swallowed, and then decided to go with humor to get past the awkwardness that was slowly filling up the room as none of them wanted to break the eye contact.

"You know, I used to be this badass orthopedic surgeon who broke bones for a living, and if you need me to hurt him, I mean _really_ hurt him, just let me know"

Arizona blinked a few times. And then she smiled. A radiant smile that shot through Callie's heart like an arrow.

"I may actually take you up on that offer some time" the blonde laughed, and Callie's shoulders fell with relief. Maybe the ease they had gotten into before the phone call was now back. Callie was hoping so.

"I'm done. Do you wanna see?" Arizona asked and nodded towards the bedroom.

It was a surprising invitation, and Callie did the best she could to not nod too vigorously.

Callie had only ever looked into the bedroom from the outside but never actually stepped inside. As she crossed the doorstep, she felt like she was being allowed a little closer to the very private Arizona.

The room smelled like paint, but there was something else there; a scent of Arizona.

And as Callie looked at the cabinets, she was genuinely surprised and amazed at what Arizona had done. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She looked at the blonde and noticed something in Arizona's eyes. A search for approval maybe.

"Wow" Callie finally said "This is...really...beautiful"

Arizona had recreated how the closets had looked originally, with an intricate hand painted floral design. It looked amazing.

Callie let a finger run along the edge of the closet door as if to _feel_ the design. And right that second, Callie's finger somehow became everything Arizona focused on. Tanned and strong and gentle.

She watched as Callie studied the small flowers that were sprinkled out over the wood, and she fixed her eyes on Callie's eyelashes. Dark and long and beautiful.

For a second the blonde wondered if the attraction was a reaction to being alone with Callie for so long. If it was merely there because she knew that Callie had been in a relationship with a woman.

When Callie turned and looked at her with a beautiful smile and warm eyes though, Arizona knew that the attraction was purely because of Callie.

Arizona swallowed thickly once again. She didn't know what to say.

"Well, if you ever get tired of lawyering, you'll know what kind of business to get into" Callie said while once again looking at the closets.

"Thanks" Arizona croaked, hoping Callie didn't notice the change in her eyes and voice.

"What's left for you to do now?" the latina then asked. Arizona was thankful that Callie was keeping the conversation going.

"Uhm...I need to strip the walls in here, put up new tapestry, sand the paneling and so on. But I'll wait with that until you're gone"

Callie looked at her questioningly and with a bit of surprise. Like the latina had to think hard to remember why they were in the house and that their situation was not permanent. Arizona smiled.

"You're taking up the couch that I need to sleep on while I work on this room"

"Oh...right" Callie said. Somehow, all of a sudden, the thought of some day – probably soon – having to leave Pine Tree Road, didn't seem so appealing.

The snow was still there though, which meant that none of them were going anywhere.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

Two days later Callie was up early, checking on the outside of the house, making sure that there was still no damage to the building. It was a little ritual she carried out every other day.

It was also a ritual Arizona had caught on to. As soon as Arizona heard the door, she hurried out of bed, and walked around the living room, secretly watching the latina through the windows.

She caught herself doing this. And so did Callie. When the brunette saw her through the window, she gave her a radiant smile. It completely caught Arizona off guard, and instead of smiling back, she simply stared.

Callie tilted her head and studied the blonde, until Arizona finally managed an awkward wave.

Callie smiled again and then continued her walk around the house. She carried around a tightly closed box in her chest where she kept feelings that she wouldn't allow herself to feel. But every time she looked at Arizona, the box stirred a bit. She had to keep herself on a short leash so that the box wouldn't tip over completely. It took everything she had to keep things in place.

Initially she'd disliked Arizona. Well maybe not disliked, but certainly not liked. She'd found the blonde uptight and annoyingly closed off.

But she'd found out that there was a much softer side to Arizona. One that read poetry and painted flowers and twirled her blonde curls around while she was deep in thoughts. The Arizona she'd discovered was far from the cold lawyer image she'd initially associated with the blonde. Arizona was complicated yet endearing, guarded yet somehow carried her feelings on the outside. She'd been a mystery – still slightly was – to Callie, and Callie liked her. _Really_ liked her.

It had crept up on Callie and manifested itself in her the day they'd played Monopoly. The exact second it happened was when Arizona realized she was losing and bit her lip in awkward anticipation of the mocking that Callie was going to be doing. It had tugged at something inside of Callie. Something that hadn't been tugged at since brighter times filled with love and devoid of worry and sorrow.

And since then Callie had worked hard, trying not to think about Arizona. And Arizona's blue eyes. And Arizona's bedroom.

She'd tried to lock away the feelings she felt bubbling up inside of her, covering them with a weird reasoning that included focusing solely on the fact that Arizona was going to leave.

Callie. Could. Not. Fall. In. Love. With. Arizona. Arizona who had an ex husband. Arizona who was simply waiting for the second she could get back to New York.

The latina came back into the house and Arizona kept herself busy enough behind the kitchen counter to not look up.

"Breakfast?" she simply asked.

"Yeah, that sounds good" Callie said and took off her jacket. The weather was changing, and she felt another storm coming on. It didn't look like more snow though.

As they ate, the dark gray clouds above them did a feisty dance and slowly started letting out cracks of lightning and thunder. There was no rain though, which gave it all an aerie and disturbing air to it. The lightning reflected off the snow and for fractions of seconds lit everything like camera flashes.

It came closer.

Callie got up and carried her plate to the sink where Arizona was standing, washing a pan.

The moment Callie put her plate down next to the sink, a lightning shot through the air in front of the house, and cracks of electricity came out through the tap and surrounded Arizona's hands with blue light.

Callie pushed her to the floor to get her away from the electric current and let herself fall down next to her as the thunder cracked right above them. The sound was deafening, and it made Arizona scream out in fear.

Callie pulled her close, and the blonde buried her face in Callie's neck.

When the lightning rolled off the mountains it sounded like the end had come. Loud, loud roars, and the sound of exploding trees in the distance. Every five seconds there was a flashing light from a lightning, and one second later the whole house would shake from the force of the thunder.

Arizona had never heard anything like it. It shook her to her core, and somehow everything she had left in New York, all the tension and strained relationships, the emotional walls she'd built; it all exploded and drizzled down around her. The only thing she felt was how close Callie was.

"Shit!" she hissed out, tears gathering in her eyes.

They were extremely close now. Arizona could feel Callie's breath on her skin. It made her swallow thickly in anticipation of what could be happening next.

They were both breathing heavily.

But then Callie pulled away. The storm had moved on. And the latina looked at Arizona with piercing eyes filled with...fear? They both knew how close they'd come to...closeness.

Callie swallowed, and got off the floor. Arizona instantly felt cold.

"It's...it's gone. You okay?"

"Yeah" Arizona breathed out.

Callie cleared her throat and took a step back, her action cementing a wedge of feelings that had now taken up the space between them.

And that's how they moved around each other for the following three days, avoiding eye contact and both of them trying to not think about anything related to the other. Simply carrying out everyday tasks and staying out of each others' way.

It didn't last though. It couldn't.

In the evening of the third day, Callie was walking around the room in tight, short shorts that showed off her long tanned legs, and a tight top that really didn't leave much to the imagination. She had a bodily confidence that was extremely sexy, and she didn't cover herself up unnecessarily. Arizona was sure that Callie hadn't even thought much about what she was wearing. It was simply what she had pulled on after showering for the night.

Arizona stared. From behind her book. From behind the kitchen counter. From the door to the pantry. Whenever she could sneak a peek, she did.

And the singing. Since they weren't talking much, Callie sang. She sang to keep her mind occupied, and to deafen the aerie silence that surrounded them.

Afraid of being pulled into the make-believe unbearable lightness of Callie's presence in the house, Arizona retired to her bedroom without saying goodnight.

She closed the door, lay down and pulled the covers over her body and head, shielding herself and holding back the longing that she felt radiating off her own body.

It became too much. She couldn't breathe.

She pushed herself to the edge of the bed and sat there for a few minutes, thinking about Callie in the other room.

The blonde swallowed. And then, right at that moment – she gave up trying to not slip over the edge she'd kept herself away from for more than three weeks. It was no longer possible. She was not strong enough. She didn't want to be strong enough.

She got out of bed and slowly opened the door to the living room. A candle in the window was still lit, and the golden light coming from the flame, enveloped the couch in an almost magic light.

Arizona stepped into the room, and slowly walked towards the couch.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

Callie felt Arizona's presence before the blonde came into view.

And when she did come into view, they simply looked at each other for what felt like a few long minutes. Callie who was lying on the couch didn't dare move, but kept her eyes fixed on Arizona. On Arizona's eyes. On Arizona's lips.

"Callie…" Arizona said with a voice that almost betrayed her and turned into a raspy croak.

Callie pushed herself up on her elbows. It hit her suddenly and with great force why the blonde was there, and without breaking eye contact said "Arizona, don't..."

It was only a halfhearted plea, and there was no way Arizona could hold back any more. She took two steps forward, crawled onto the couch, and straddled Callie's legs. The latina didn't – was not able to – protests. Having Arizona that close felt good. Very good.

The blonde leaned down and let her lips hover over Callie's for a few seconds before she finally connected them in a soft kiss.

And Callie couldn't stop it. Couldn't hold back.

She opened her mouth slightly and let Arizona in while snaking a hand around the blonde's neck and into the soft, soft curls.

It felt like they had been molded to fit with each other. Nothing less.

Arizona leaned back and looked at Callie for a few seconds, her eyes dark with want and something Callie couldn't quite put her finger on. But she was sure it matched what her own eyes contained.

She touched the hem of Arizona's top, and then let her hands slip underneath the fabric and upwards to touch the blonde's breasts.

The feeling of the soft skin against her palms, made her hold her breath. Arizona's breathing was heavy with her touch, and her nipples hardened with the warmth of Callie's hands.

Arizona grabbed the hem of the top and pulled it off. She once again paused and looked at Callie who was now consumed with everything Arizona.

Callie pushed herself up and forward and feverishly kissed the blonde. As their tongues danced, Callie pushed her hand down the back of Arizona's shorts and grabbed her ass. It made Arizona moan into the kiss.

Callie let her tongue run down Arizona's neck and all the way down to her left nipple. She took it in her mouth and let the tip of her tongue run over it slowly. Softly.

Then she moved her hand to the front of Arizona's shorts, and slowly let her hand snake down to Arizona's core, the feeling making Arizona elicit a whimper. The blonde knew that Callie was now going to make her feel really good.

When Callie touched her clit, the latina was rewarded with yet another sexy whimper, and Arizona wrapped an arm around Callie's neck to get as close to the brunette as possible.

Callie slowly rubbed her clit, and Arizona moved her core forward in movements that were in sync with Callie's.

The pleasure rolled through the blonde in large waves. She'd fought it so hard. Falling for Callie. And now all she could feel was the latina and her very gentle yet firm touch.

"Callie...I need..."

She didn't have to say anything else. Callie read her like an open book, and swiftly pushed two fingers into her, causing the blonde to moan out loud. With that Arizona was gone. Her inner walls clenched around Callie's fingers, and she let her forehead drop to Callie's shoulder while panting out warm breath upon warm breath against Callie's skin.

They stayed like that for a minute or two, none of them moving an inch. And when Callie slowly pulled out of Arizona, the blonde almost couldn't bear the loss of having Callie _that_ close.

Their eyes met. It turned on a fire in the blonde.

She pushed Callie back and lay down partly on top and partly next to the latina. She quickly found the hem of Callie's pyjamas pants, and roughly pushed her hand into them, desperate to touch Callie.

Callie's mouth opened slightly, and she closed her eyes.

Arizona's hand met a warm wetness that made her head spin, and when Callie started pushing upwards to add more pressure, Arizona's mind went blank. All she saw and felt was Callie.

The blonde started rubbing Callie's clit and their mouths met in deep fierce and wet kisses.

Something inside Callie made her think that maybe she should stop this. Get up. Walk out. But right that moment she didn't give a fuck. Because what Arizona was doing to her felt good. Everything felt good. It even felt right.

She forced her eyes to open slightly, and when she saw the look in Arizona's eyes, dark from want, she couldn't hold anything back any longer. She came. Without breaking eye contact with Arizona.

The orgasm was like a warm rolling feeling that swept away hesitation, fear, and doubt in one single wave.

As Callie's panting subsided they stayed where they were, facing each other, looking into each other's eyes.

None of them said anything.

Arizona's skin felt like it was going to catch fire as Callie let her fingers run lightly back and forth over her upper arm.

The feeling made her want to cry. Instead she moved close to Callie and fell asleep, trying to not think about what would happen now.


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

They heard the roar of the plow before they actually saw it. Callie got up and quickly pulled on some jeans and a shirt. Arizona scrambled to the other end of the room and found pants and a robe. Like they were teenagers trying to not get caught.

Callie stood by the window. Tall and straight in her posture. She looked over at Arizona who was now standing on the other side of the kitchen counter, looking back at the latina. They kept looking at each other, but none of them said anything as Bill from the volunteer fire department pulled up in front of the house in the town's snowplow and literally burst their little bubble.

Callie lowered her gaze, paused for a second, put on her jacket, grabbed the doorknob and pulled open the door. There was something in her eyes. Regret maybe?

All Arizona managed to get out was "Callie…" She wanted to say so many things to Callie, but she didn't know how. And now it seemed like it was too late.

The latina looked at Arizona for a few seconds, and then she walked outside.

Arizona watched from the window as Callie spoke to Bill. The guy was smiling and so was the latina. Arizona knew what it meant; their time together in Nella's house was over.

She opened the front door slowly and both Bill and Callie turned towards her.

"The road is open. I'm gonna go down with Bill. A woman, Tessa, will go into labor soon" Callie said.

Arizona simply nodded as she held her robe tightly around herself in the cold.

Bill tipped his hat at the blonde, and then Arizona watched as Callie jumped into her truck and drove behind Bill out the driveway and onto the road.

A few seconds later as a deafening silence fell in Arizona's driveway, it felt like it had all been a dream. A three week long dream. As if Callie had never been there. She'd come out of nowhere and left out of nowhere. And all that was left were her blankets on the couch and a bit of clothes.

Arizona sat down, looked out the window at the branches on the trees that would now be carrying significantly less weight as the snow melted.

And then she hid her face in her hands and cried. The tears had been a long time coming.

Callie didn't cry. Instead she worked non-stop for a whole week after returning to town, trying to squeeze 3 weeks worth of consultations into 7 days.

At the end of the week she was beat. And as she was trying to finish up some paperwork, all she could think about was sleep. And Arizona.

She'd thought about the blonde. A lot. But she had also tried to will the thoughts away, not wanting to think about the weeks they had spent together. Not wanting her heart broken. But the blonde kept popping up in her head. Flashing those damn dimples.

Lost in her thoughts, Callie didn't hear the door, but she could smell Arizona's shampoo a mile away.

"You just left. You didn't even call"

Callie didn't look up from her paper work. She couldn't look the other woman in the eyes.

When she finally looked up, she got out of her seat and walked around the table so she was standing right in front of Arizona.

"I wanted to give you some space" Callie said with a cold voice. She was dead tired. And something inside of her made her want to push the blonde away.

"Space?" Arizona said and furrowed her brow.

"Yeah. So you could go back to your…straight…life"

It wasn't what Callie had meant to say. It was simply what her tired and protective brain came up with.

Arizona looked surprised and hurt. She responded by slapping Callie's cheek hard.

"Don't pretend to know anything about me!" Arizona hissed out and quickly walked to the door. Right before walking out, she turned around and looked at Callie with fire in her eyes. Her voice came out sad and croaky though.

"The...someone...the one whose bones you offered to break...in New York...is a woman. She cheated on me. A million times. And I..." Arizona stopped for a second and took in her own words. She lifted a shaking hand and held it against her chest as if to stop her heart from breaking, and then she half whispered "Fuck you!" before she abruptly turned around and left.

Somehow Callie wasn't surprised. The way Arizona had touched her had been...well...the touch of someone experienced. It had been – if she was completely honest with herself – amazing. She just didn't want to fall into whatever had happened between them. She wanted to stay level headed. Cool. Unattached.

And that's what she hung onto for three days until she was barely floating anymore.

It was late at night, and she tried to figure out whether she should drown her evening in a bottle of wine or simply go to bed.

She opted for a third activity; pacing the living room while throwing glances towards the mountainside.

Her heart was heavy and her mind was working overtime.

She had something she wanted – needed – to get off her chest.

At midnight she got into her car and drove to Pine Tree Road.

Nella's house looked dark with only a small light coming from the living room. Arizona must have seen the car coming, but she didn't come out. Callie sat in the car for a minute or two before she finally got out and walked to the front door.

The driveway looked different without all the snow, and the latina could hear the melt water run down the mountain in the distance. Spring was coming.

Callie lifted her hand and right as her hand was about to touch the wood, the door opened. Slowly. Arizona just stood there, looking like her skin was on fire, lighting up the dark doorway. She didn't say anything, and for a moment neither did Callie. They just looked at each other. There was no anger. But Arizona needed Callie to say something. And that's exactly what Callie then did.

"Her name was Vivian. She was Bill's daughter. And I loved her so, so much. I lost her. She died. And I can't survive another loss. I _will_ fall in love with you, Arizona. And then you'll leave. You'll go back to New York. Maybe even back to her. And I'll be here… And I can't…"

Callie had tears in her eyes now and her lip was quivering.

Everything had happened so fast 3 years earlier. She'd been happily married one minute and a widow the next.

When she got the call, she only registered fractions of the sentences like 'Dead' and 'Drunk driver'. It was all a haze, and the shock of it all made her drop the phone and fall to the floor.

After the funeral she'd driven out to the lake and screamed, and screamed, and screamed until what left her body were only raw sounds of desperation. She kneeled down on the muddy ground and stayed there for hours.

It had felt like sorrow was clawing at her heart and throat.

She didn't think she'd survive.

But she did.

And slowly, very slowly, she got back on her feet.

 _They_ picked her up.

To begin with she'd kept the clinic closed and locked herself in the apartment.

She didn't open the door for anybody for weeks. She didn't eat. Didn't shower. Barely existed.

That was until Bill and Wilson broke through her back door and dragged her out of bed.

They wiped her tears and washed her like a couple of father's washing a baby. And then they dressed her and took her to Patty's Diner and fed her.

They did that every day for a month, until it no longer was too great a task for Callie herself to get up and face the world.

People were kind and loving and caring. She'd found it miraculous. And the care they gave her filled her with so much love for them.

She'd never forget it. Ever.

They never spoke about it now though. And she loved them for that too. It wasn't like nobody ever mentioned Vivian's name, but people didn't look at her with pity in their eyes, and she was immensely grateful for that.

And now… Now she was standing in front of Arizona. A woman who had showed up out of nowhere and stirred everything. Shaken her little quiet life in Centerville and warmed her heart up again. And she couldn't allow that to happen. She couldn't _love_ again. Because she was certain it wouldn't last.

It was too much to bear. And Callie's shoulders felt immensely heavy under Arizona's silence.

"I don't...I'm sorry" the blonde finally whispered as the realization of Callie's words hit her. The deep, deep sorrow that somehow came pouring out of the latina was almost tangible. Arizona didn't know what else to say.

Callie looked at her as a single tear ran down her cheek.

"I just can't…" the latina then repeated.

Arizona swallowed thickly, nowhere near unaffected by Callie's words and presence, and then she simply nodded in understanding.

Callie clenched her jaw and then also mustered a small nod before the turned around, walked back to her car and drove back to her apartment.

It was supposed to close it down.

To make it go away.

But it didn't.


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

A month passed. A month of monotone treatments and hangouts at Joe's. The leaves started turning green. And Callie didn't see Arizona once.

It was eating away at her heart.

On a Friday morning the handle on the front door to the clinic broke, and since Callie didn't have any patients scheduled, she decided to go to the lumberyard where Wilson also had a small hardware store.

She parked close to the entrance and strolled inside. The lumberyard felt like a second home to her, and she often stopped by to chat with Wilson.

When she walked through the door she stopped in her tracks though.

Arizona was standing at the counter, talking to Wilson.

For a second Callie contemplated turning around and running out before the blonde could see her, but she wasn't fast enough, because Arizona turned around and met her eyes.

"Oh, hey Calliope!" Wilson said with a happy voice "I was just telling Miss Robbins here about how we changed the siding on the clinic a few years back. Remember all the dry rot?"

The mentioning of Callie's full first name caused Arizona's head to snap around.

"Calliope...?"

Callie didn't take her eyes off Arizona, and simply nodded at Wilson's question.

"She's thinking about changing the siding on Nella's house, aren't you, Miss Robbins?"

Arizona finally looked at Wilson, smiled and said "Yes... Yes, I'm considering it"

The blonde pulled out some cash and paid for some paint, and then she slowly backed out of the store, giving Wilson and Callie a small wave.

It had taken everything Arizona had to start coming back to town. She been to the supermarket a few times, but this was her first time back and the lumberyard. After Callie left she'd felt lost at the prospect of having to get started on the renovation process again. It had seemed like a mountain too high to climb.

And now that she'd finally gone back to the lumberyard, of course she would run into Callie. It made her dizzy, so she leaned up against her car and breathed in the cool morning air to steady her thoughts.

A couple of minutes later Callie came out, clearly surprised that Arizona was still there.

Callie stopped by her own car and looked at the blonde who was staring back at her.

"Calliope?"

Callie forced a smile.

"Only people over the age of 60 call me that" she then said dryly.

Arizona nodded but looked at the latina in wonder. That name.

They were both silent for a while.

"How are things at the house?" Callie then managed. She was being courteous. But on the inside she felt exactly like she had known she would feel when seeing the blonde again; like grabbing Arizona and running away – anywhere – with her.

"Okay" Arizona simply said and gave the latina a small smile "I'm finishing up the bedroom"

"That's good" Callie said, and all of a sudden she found it hard to keep eye contact with Arizona. Those blue eyes were too much to handle. She needed to get away.

"I should probably..." she said and pointed to her car.

"Callie, please..." Arizona breathed out. She didn't know what she wanted. She didn't know what she could ask of the latina. A few months of uncommitted something, and then she would say goodbye and go back to New York?

The latina looked at her.

"Can I... Can I come and see you? For coffee?"

Callie dared a glance at the blonde and after a few seconds, she nodded. She could do coffee.

And then she got into her car and drove home where she stayed for almost a whole week until Arizona stopped by.

She was wearing paint stained pants and looked adorable with her hair in braids.

"I hurt my leg" she said "And I don't have anything to clean it with"

She pulled up the leg of her pants and showed Callie a large scraping on her shin.

Callie didn't say much, but lead the blonde into the exam room and cleaned the scraping and wrapped it in a single layer of bandage.

Arizona enjoyed the closeness and being able to smell Callie's shampoo and see her brow furrow in concentration,

They were impossibly close, and as Callie finished, they looked at each other for a long minute, until Arizona leaned in and kissed the latina.

It was a soft kiss, and Callie felt like her lips were full of sprinkles.

When Arizona pulled back though, the latina was pulled out of the haze she'd been in. She got up and quickly walked out of the room and out the backdoor and onto the back porch.

Arizona ran after her.

"Callie..."

"I can't... I told you I can't... Please..." Callie pleaded while standing with her back to the blonde.

She didn't sound mad. It sounded more like she was at a loss for what exactly to do or say.

"I'm sorry"

"Are you?" Callie turned around and asked challengingly although still devoid of anger.

Arizona didn't know what to say. She felt like it was so obvious that they were good together. That they could enjoy each other for however long. Maybe until she went back to New York. And she knew in her heart that Callie felt the same. But none of them knew exactly what they could bear to give or commit to. They were like two hurt animals, running towards each other only to divert the very last second and then repeat the whole thing all over again.

And all Arizona could think about was Callie's skin and how it had felt to kiss it that night in Pine Tree Road.

They both sat down on the porch stairs.

Callie closed her eyes and breathed in the air that was now purified by rain. They were both silent for a few minutes.

"She was pregnant" the latina then whispered without looking at Arizona.

The blonde gasped ever so quietly.

"I…I never told anyone. Not even her dad. Nobody. I wanted it to be our thing. Even if she wasn't around anymore. And I felt like her and I – our life together – would somehow disappear even more than it had by her dying if I let others in and told someone" Callie shook her head slowly "Stupid really"

"Not at all" Arizona managed to say.

Callie looked at her with gratitude.

"I never wanted children, you know" Callie then said "I always thought I wasn't cut out for being a mom, but to Vivian it…it was a given…and slowly…slowly it became a given to me too"

There was a silence.

"I couldn't imagine not wanting kids" Arizona then started "Actually, I've always thought I would end of with a whole bunch of kids. And then came Mark. And the business. And the divorce. And…I was…busy… getting my life back together... I still want them. Kids. I just don't think I'll make it to a whole bunch"

Once again they were silent. Arizona took a deep breath and let go of it as if she was blowing down the walls she'd surrounded herself with.

"I had a brother. Tim. He died. In Afghanistan. And then I got divorced. And then…then I fell in love with a woman. And it was great until it turned horrible and full of drama and hurt and betrayal. It all happened in a year. A fucking year. A lifetime of change in _one_ year"

Callie studied the blonde's face. It looked like Arizona was used to keeping the story of her brother locked up inside of her. And it looked like the rest of her personal stuff was also kept away from others and maybe even herself. Callie new the feeling. That sorrow can be so great and all-consuming that you need to keep it hidden away so that it won't spill all over the place and end up drowning you.

"I'm sorry about your brother. And everything" Callie said.

Arizona took a deep breath and nodded. And then she got up, which caught Callie by surprise.

"Can we... Do you think we can just...be friends?" Callie asked. She didn't know if she'd be able to withstand any more of Arizona's approaches, and she desperately wanted – _needed_ – to protect her heart.

Arizona looked at Callie who was still sitting down. She looked so vulnerable. It had been a slightly awkward conversation full of sharing that they should have probably done a few months before but now needed to get out. To somehow clear the air between them.

"I...I don't know if I can promise you that" Arizona simply said, and then turned around and left.

It seemed like both a promise and a threat, and Callie didn't know what to do with it.


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16**

A few weeks later the town celebrated the day the first settlers had arrived in the area.

There was a big barbecue, a band, activities for the kids and almost everybody was there. The streets were full of people.

Callie was in a short, red dress and heels, her long, dark, wavy hair moving in the warm spring wind.

She hadn't expected to see Arizona, and when she saw the blonde's car approaching in the distance she didn't know whether to run home and hide or stay and...stare at the blonde?

Arizona stepped out of her car and instantly picked up a conversation with Wilson and a few other guys. The locals had really warmed up to the lawyer, and the blonde's smile told Callie that Arizona's initial resistance to the whole place had also faded a bit.

Arizona wore a white dress with small flowers on it. It made her look both cute and sexy, and Callie – right off the bat – had to remind herself that _she_ was the one who had asked for a friendship and nothing else. But if Arizona was going to be walking around looking like that all afternoon and night, it was going to be a long day.

They didn't bump into each other until hours later. Callie was at the buffet, putting food on her plate while chatting with Tessa who was holding the baby Callie had helped deliver only a few months earlier.

"Salad? Only salad?" came a voice behind Callie and Tessa. Callie turned around, and Tessa's husband came over to show his wife which table they were going to sit at. It left the latina alone with Arizona who was looking curiously at Callie's plate. The blonde had been working on a bunch of other things to say when she saw Callie, but when she was finally standing behind the latina, nothing remotely intelligent came out.

Callie looked at the green salad she had picked.

"Yeah, well, being cooped up in your house for weeks didn't do wonders to my weight" Callie was fighting off the urge to laugh at how clumsily Arizona had now approached her. It was endearing.

Arizona's jaw dropped.

"You're kidding, right?" she said in disbelief.

"What do you mean?" Callie was a bit confused.

"Your weight? You must be kidding!"

Callie still didn't know where Arizona was going.

"Callie, you're gorgeous...you...you're so..." Arizona stuttered while looking the latina up and down. She knew a million women in New York – grey-skinned, boney, and lifeless women – who would kill to look like Callie. "I've…I've seen you, and you are…perfect"

"Arizona... Stop it, please..." Callie said in a halfheartedly strained voice. Arizona's rant was more than just a compliment on Callie's looks. It carried something else that Callie wanted Arizona to shut down as fast as possible even though the latina felt herself slipping into the blue pool of Arizona's eyes.

"I can't stop, Calliope" Arizona whispered "I can't"

Callie swallowed as Arizona looked at her, took a step backwards, turned around, and walked into the crowd and disappeared.

A few hours later Callie was leaning against a tree, holding her heels in her hand and enjoying the view of people dancing and drinking and having fun.

It was dark now, and Callie felt good being alone in the dark, processing the day. Processing Arizona.

When Arizona suddenly appeared in front of her, the blonde looked like a vision in her dress and eyes that shone even in the dark.

Callie didn't move but simply stared at Arizona.

Then - surrounded by a night sky lit by exploding fireworks – Arizona unfearfully and without hesitation stepped up to Callie and pressed her body against the latina's.

She put a hand on either side of Callie's face and pulled the latina's closer so that their foreheads were touching and their mouths were close.

"I want you. Please let me have you" the blonde whispered.

"Arizona…"

"Callie, I'm not leaving. Not right now. Can we just…can we just…"

'Not right now' was enough for Callie at that moment, and she suddenly let go of the leash she had kept herself on, and just grabbed Arizona around the waist and connected their lips in a searing kiss, heated and wet and so much more meaningful than any of them were ready to face.

They drove to Callie's place in separate cars, wanting to keep the gossip at bay. But Callie had seen the wink Wilson threw at her as the two women left the party. He had also given her an approving nod. They weren't unseen. But it didn't matter.

They didn't speak at all while walking from their cars, into the house, up the stairs, and until they were standing in front of each other in Callie's apartment.

And then they both let go.

Callie took a few steps forward, the force of her body pushing Arizona back and up against the wall. The latina grabbed Arizona's face and connected their lips and their tongues. Arizona moaned at the feeling.

Then the latina moved her hands to Arizona's shoulder, slipped her fingers underneath the straps of Arizona's dress, and pulled them down Arizona's shoulders. Slowly.

The white dress fell to the floor, leaving the blonde in yellow and blue striped panties and a red bra with white polka dots.

Callie looked her up and down, and Arizona noticed a small smile tug at the latina's lips. The lawyer looked so cute in her mismatched underwear that it almost did Callie's heart in.

"There's no Victoria's Secret out here" Arizona apologetically said with a crooked smile.

Callie smiled at her. A radiant smile. Arizona loved that smile. It made the blonde furrow her brow with the feelings that came rushing over her. Feelings for Callie.

She watched as Callie's reach to her own side and pulled down the zipper of her red dress. It was the sexiest thing Arizona had ever seen. Like watching an amazing present being unwrapped in front of her.

Her hands were aching. Aching to touch the latina. And as Callie's dress fell to that floor, that's what Arizona did. She lounged herself forward and grabbed a hold of Callie's hips, latched onto Callie's lips, and pushed the latina backwards towards the bedroom while deftly undoing Callie's bra on the way there.

Callie fell backwards onto the bed, and Arizona immediately straddled her while taking of the polka dot bra.

Callie's hands shot up and cupped the blonde's breasts, and Arizona arched her back to push her body into the touch.

Then Callie grabbed the top of Arizona's panties with both hands, made eye contact with the blonde, and ripped the fabric apart, exposing the blonde's core.

Arizona gasped at the abrupt action. It turned her on beyond measure.

"Touch me. Please" Arizona breathed out.

She hardly finished the sentence before Callie's hand was between her legs, massaging her core. Arizona let her head fall backwards and Callie sat up against her and put an arm around the blonde's body to better be able to pull Arizona towards her and apply the friction she wanted.

Arizona leaned her head against Callie's shoulder, effectively surrendering her whole body to the latina. She was nothing but whimpers.

"God, you feel amazing" Callie whispered into her ear.

"I…I'm so close…" Arizona managed to get out.

"Then come"

That's all it took. Callie soft, soft voice in her ear made her tremble against Callie's arm and come like she had never come before.

Callie fell backwards and Arizona followed, her torso pressed against Callie's and both of them feeling the battle of their beating hearts.

Arizona's cheek was on Callie's shoulder, and the thin sheen of sweat on Callie's skin made the blonde want to stick out her tongue and taste the saltiness of Callie's exertion.

The blonde sat up and looked at Callie. The latina looked like a goddess, her dark, dark hair spread out against the white sheets, her dark eyes sparkling with want, and her lips looking so inviting.

Then Arizona leaned down and slowly kissed her way from Callie's lips and down to Callie's collar bone.

She stopped, looked up at Callie and whispered "I want to taste you".

Her words made Callie's breath hitch which in return made Arizona want to completely devour the latina.

The blonde kissed her way down over Callie's abdomen to the latina's pubic mound, and continued to let her tongue run the length of the latina's slit.

Callie closed her eyes, and as Arizona wrapped her lips around Callie's clit, the latina gasped out loud. Arizona lips and tongue felt so good, and Callie let a hand run through Arizona's hair, wanting the blonde to never stop doing what she was doing.

After a few amazing minutes Callie looked down in time to see Arizona stick two fingers into her mouth to moisten them and then penetrate her slowly.

"Callie…" Arizona breathed out as she felt the latina's walls start clenching around her fingers. Making Callie feel this good made Arizona's heart close to exploding. And as Callie came in a guttural moan, Arizona knew – but avoided the fact – that there was a real risk that she was going to fall head over heels in love with Callie.


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17**

At 4 am Callie stumbled into the kitchen to drink some water, re-hydrating after hours of exertion.

As she let the tap run for a few seconds until the water was cool enough, she took status of the situation. She had a beautiful, wonderful woman in her bed. A woman who'd been persistent enough to break through her emotional walls with...the promise of a summer filled with...pleasure?

It made Callie giddy. And her giddiness overshadowed what was lying underneath; the fact that Arizona was – at some point – going to leave. Callie subconsciously shoved that knowledge to the back of her mind, and let herself fall into whatever Arizona had to offer.

She could do this. She could allow herself some pleasure. Some fun.

And right that moment she decided to force away any thoughts of the fact that the fun and the pleasure would be temporary. That whatever they had done during the night had been a silent pact that they would not think about the future separation.

They had six weeks. Six weeks of sleeping together and feeling so carefree it made every inch of their skin electric. It was miraculous.

And then it all went to hell.

On the day the sale went through, Callie stayed in bed, not wanting to face what she knew was going to be an unavoidable heartbreak. The house was sold. Arizona would leave. They hadn't talked about this day, not wanting to face the inevitable split that was – from the beginning – creeping up on them.

At noon she heard a knock on the door, but didn't move. It was Arizona.

When the blonde didn't get an answer, she simply walked through the door and went up the stairs to Callie's bedroom. The room was dark, and Arizona felt like it somehow reflected how she felt inside.

She pulled one of the curtains aside as Callie slowly sat up with her back against the headboard.

Arizona sat down next to her, holding some papers in her hand.

In spite of wanting to run. Away from the heartbreak she felt getting closer with every second that passed, Callie stayed put.

None of them said anything for a while. Arizona was the one to break the silence.

She lifted the papers she was holding.

"It's Nella's will" Arizona started in a sad voice "She left the house to me. There are 8 of us in total. Great nieces and nephews. And she leaves it to _me_. The one who never had time to give her a call or stop by for a visit. And…and it came with a set of rules"

Arizona hesitated, but then handed the papers to Callie.

The first page was not the official will, but something that without a doubt summed up what the remainder of the pieces of paper held.

 **Arizona,**

 **You will take over my house on Pine Tree Road.**

 **You will fix up the house yourself and then sell it. Half the profit is to be donated to the town. The other half is to be invested in business in the town. You have the freedom to choose what kind of business and how.**

 **Rules:**

 **You have to live in the house during the renovation**

 **You are not to tell anyone about the plan until the house is sold**

 **I know you're wondering why. But trust me. At some point, you'll know.**

 **Please respect my wish and the rules.**

 **Nella**

"I couldn't tell you because it was her wish" Arizona croaked "I wondered why, you know. Why me? Why these rules? It took me six months to pack up my life and leave everything on standby. To come here. So that I could finish this and then get back. To my life"

Arizona reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a small folded piece of paper. She handed it to Callie and said "And then I found this"

Callie took the paper and unfolded it. It simply said 'Calliope & Arizona?'

Callie looked at Arizona questioningly. The brunette looked so broken, it nearly tore Arizona's heart in half.

Arizona looked at the paper to avoid eye contact with the latina.

"Nella wrote it. It's her handwriting. I found it on my first day here. Just sitting on the kitchen counter like it was waiting for me. Like she'd placed it there right before going off to die at the hospital. I wondered, you know. I wondered why she had written it. I wondered who 'Calliope' was and _why_ Nella would write our names together like that. When you first told me your name, I didn't make the connection. I know there can't be a lot of Callie's out there, but I was just too preoccupied with everything that I didn't even think that 'Callie' could be 'Calliope'. And when you came to the house I think I stopped thinking about anything at all. I'd been so busy feeling sorry for myself. So busy longing to get back to New York. I thought about the fucking will and I thought 'Renovating your house? Really, Nella? This is what you want for me? _This_?' And then you showed up. In that fucking dress. And you…you sang and...and...and I..."

Callie thought about Nella. When Callie lost her wife, Nella had sent her a basket full of bottles of Whiskey. And Callie had drunk it. All of it. It had felt like a cleansing. Like Nella knew what losing someone meant. What losing made you need.

"Anyway...the house is sold" Arizona half whispered and swallowed thickly "And I'm packed"

The silence that came after her words was deafening. In Callie's head none of it made any sense. Nella had tried them out from 'the other side'?

"Stay" Callie whispered "Please stay"

Arizona blinked, and then looked down.

Everything inside of her screamed 'yes', but somehow what came out was "I can't".

It made Callie burst into tears immediately and she hid her face in her hands. Even though she had been prepared, it was simply too much to bear. What she had feared was now happening.

Arizona got up and took a step back as if to separate herself from the hurt. Her own included.

"Don't cry" she tried to whisper, but no sound came out.

And all of a sudden she couldn't get out of there fast enough. She was afraid that if she lingered, she would get into bed with Callie and simply never leave. And that wasn't part of the plan.

So she turned around and walked out of the room, down the stairs, out the door, and then ran to her car as she felt the tears starting to roll down her cheeks.


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18**

It took more than a month before some sort of normality had restored itself for Callie. She willed herself to not think about Arizona, and most days it worked. But at night, when she was alone in bed, the heartache came rushing in and threatened to strangle her.

She'd known it would have to be a clean cut. Long distance was never on the table. They were a whole day's travel apart and lived in two very different worlds. But she'd wanted more. More than six weeks. Just…more.

And the clean cut hurt like a rusty saw.

At the same time, many, many miles away, New York was killing Arizona. Slowly. She'd never realized this before. Or maybe she just hadn't really cared.

Being back in the city hadn't been the cathartic experience she'd hoped it would be. Everything was as absolutely shitty as it always had been. Somehow it had just all seemed a bit more glamorous while she was sitting on a mountainside in Centerville. The distance making the terrible characters of the people that surrounded her in the city seem wonderful.

She hit the ground running in the firm as cases had been piling up in her office in her absence. Work became a godsent distraction for the first few weeks. It kept her focused on something else than what she had left behind in the middle of nowhere.

She even laughed at herself, finding it absurd to think that she had even been _there_. It all seemed like a dream. A good dream though. A dream where she'd felt close to someone for the first time in...well, forever. Callie.

And there was something left to do. Nella had wanted her to give half the profit to the town and invest the other half in a business in town. The last part of the plan was still to be carried out.

She didn't know if she dared return to Centerville though. For a while she thought she could probably just go there, give the money to whoever had a business on Main Street, and then get the hell back out of town, but somehow she felt more connected to the place than to be able to do that.

It messed with her the plan. _Her_ plan. Not Nella's. Arizona's plan had been to give Centerville as little as possible of her time, return to New York, and then forget all about Pine Tree Road. And Pine Tree Road was forgettable. But the memory of Callie in Pine Tree Road was not.

Arizona had understood that Nella wanted was to bring her and Callie together. But her plan wouldn't allow it. So she had left Centerville. And Callie. She'd stuck her tail between her legs so she could avoid whatever complications her mind foresaw and returned to her ice cold life on the East Coast.

She'd willed it into the back of her mind, but slowly, the heartache came crawling out and started hurting so much that it threatened to make her double over in pain.

"Fuck!" she yelled as she threw her cup against the wall of her office. Her plan had to die.


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER 19**

4th of July was Callie's favorite day of the year. So much happiness in the air that it made her dizzy. It functioned like a band-aid she could put over the part of her that was hurting the most; her heart.

Callie had come to Centerville to help with a special orthopedic case. A man who couldn't be transported anywhere and had to be treated on site for a couple of months. It had been a challenge that she gladly accepted, knowing that she'd get out of the small town at some point and return to Chicago where she had momentarily left her fast paced surgeon life.

But then it happened. She had been invited to a party at Joe's by the elderly man who was the town's doctor at the time, and stepping through the doors to the bar, she'd felt so misplaced and alienated due to all the looks she was getting from the locals, that she very quickly sought refuge on the back porch with a cold beer.

Vivian had shown up out of nowhere and sat down next to her, unceremoniously clinking her beer against Callie's. The latina couldn't quite remember when she had fallen in love with the woman, but she was pretty sure it had happened within the first few days of knowing her.

And that was it. Callie had stayed. She'd taken over the town clinic and spent her days being madly in love with Vivian. And slowly also being madly in love with everything else about Centerville. Until she'd lost the things that were most important to her. Vivian had died. And taken their unborn baby with her. And left Callie alone in Centerville.

The life Callie had managed to put together for herself after that now seemed like a façade. Like make-belief.

She had thought that being with someone else would feel like a betrayal. But it hadn't. It had felt like a liberation.

And now she was alone again. It made her chuckle at the absurdity.

She took a sip of beer and looked at some kids who were climbing around in a big tree and swinging from ropes she herself had helped hang from the tree a couple of years earlier. And then Bill came over to her and lifted his beer in a greeting.

"Harvest is going to be great" he said and pointed at the wheat fields in the distance "Golden". Then he moved his eyes to the dance floor.

Callie nodded, trying to push away the sadness that lured. She knew the look in Bill's eyes. She knew that he knew.

"Calliope..." he said in a soothing voice and grabbed her hand in a paternal gesture.

Callie swallowed to try to get rid of the lump in her throat. It didn't work.

"She was pregnant, Bill" she then said, the words leaving her lips in a hurry.

The man didn't look at her but simply kept his eyes on the dancing crowd.

"I know, Calliope" he simply said and squeezed her hand softly.

Callie's head snapped up and she stared at him. He slowly turned around and looked at her.

"How... Why..." she started without really knowing what to say.

"I just knew. But it was your thing. Your sorrow. It wasn't mine to intrude on"

"Oh, Bill..." she whispered, and instantly tears started gathering in her eyes.

"Go, Calliope. Be free. Enjoy life. It won't wait for you. It's what Vivian would have wanted for you. It's what we all want for you; love"

"I don't know if she wants me" she said through tears.

"She wants you. If she's not a total idiot, she wants you"

She kissed his cheek, and as he smiled at her, she shook her head to gather her thoughts.

At first she simply walked, but then she took off her heels and ran the rest of the way to her car. She thought about what exactly to do. She decided to stop by her house to make some sort of a plan.

As she pulled up behind the clinic she saw the familiar green color of Arizona's car. It made her breath hitch.

She got out of the car, slowly, looking around to see where the blonde was. She heard movement behind her and turned around to see Arizona. The lawyer was dressed in the office clothes and looked like she'd left New York in a hurry, not bringing any luggage.

"Arizona..." Callie croaked.

"Callie..." Arizona rushed out as if wanting to apologize for her presence "I...I went back...and...and...everything was the same... Horrible. And I missed you so much. So, so much. And I thought about you…about us…all the time. I should have never left this place. I don't care about the firm or New York or anyone there. I...I only care about you. I don't want to go back. I want to...stay here...with you. I want…you"

The porch light reflected in Callie's eyes and flickered with surprise. And something Arizona understood was love.

That night Callie took her against the wall of the exam room.

It was Callie's way of claiming her. Wanting to make up for lost time. Wanting to make sure that Arizona was really _there_. It was frantic and rough and amazing.

Then Arizona got on her knees and buried her head between the latina's legs. It nearly blew Callie's mind.

And when they were cuddled up in Callie's bed later, none of them said anything. They were simply present.


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER 20**

As the sun started peeking through the blinds of Callie's bedroom, the latina slowly opened her eyes. At first she felt the same as she had for the last few weeks; lost. But then she felt a slow stirring beside her and looked over at the most beautiful face she'd ever seen. A face framed with tousled curls. A face that had eyelashes that fluttered slightly and blue eyes that opened slowly and looked at her.

The vision caught Callie off guard, and she suddenly started panicking. How long before Arizona would get up and leave? How long before New York would be calling her?

Arizona saw the worry in Callie's eyes. She reached out a hand and pulled a strand of dark wavy hair behind Callie's ear.

"I'm not leaving" she whispered.

It sounded like a golden promise. Like an eternity of love.

"I don't know how I'm going to stay, but I'm not leaving"


	21. Chapter 21

**EPILOGUE**

"The will said I had to invest in business, and I did. I put the money in the lumberyard. I'll...I'll work with Wilson. Restoration of old houses, you know. And I'll do some case assessment for the firm as well. Long distance. I can set up an office here, in the apartment, so that I won't have to go back to New York all the time"

Callie didn't know what to say. Her brain was processing what Arizona had just said. They'd been together for two months now, living at Callie's place. Arizona had gone back to New York a few times to settle cases, but it was hard for her to not be present in New York. Her work suffered. Setting up things so that she could actually do the same work from Centerville would be...fantastic!

Arizona studied Callie. And suddenly she felt like maybe she'd gone ahead of herself, assuming Callie wanted her there. That Callie wanted her to stay at the apartment. That Callie was _in_.

"I mean…unless you…unless you don't think it's a good idea…?" Arizona whispered questioningly.

"Arizona..." Callie started "I…" she swallowed thickly "I…I love you"

 **THE END**

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